OLIVE AND THE BITTER HERBS
– Equity Principal Auditions
Primary Stages ANTC $506/week minimum + pension, health (expected to increase to $526 in August).
Artistic Dir: Andrew Leynse
Managing Dir: Elliot Fox
Assoc Artistic Dir: Michelle Bossy
Playwright: Charles Busch
Dir: Mark Brokaw
Casting: Stephanie Klapper Casting
1st reh: 6/28/11. Runs 7/26-9/3.
Equity Principal Auditions:
Wednesday, March 23, 2011 Primary Stages Rehearsal Studios
10 AM - 6 PM 307 West 38th Street, Ste. 1510
Lunch from 1:30 – 2:30. New York City
Please prepare a brief contemporary monologue.
Please bring a picture & resume, stapled together.
Comedy about connecting to the people in our lives—those with us and those who have passed on. Actress Olive Fisher sees a ghost in her mirror, but that’s the least of her problems. Her radiator’s broken, the couple next door stink up her apartment with exotic cheeses, and the highlight of her long career was a sausage commercial in the ’80s. While she’s not the most popular tenant, her neighbors invite themselves over, and she finds herself hosting a Passover seder. But are Olive’s guests there to see her or the mysterious man in her mirror?
Seeking (all roles are available (i.e. not yet offered and accepted)):
Olive:
Jewish, 70s. New York curmudgeon of an actress who has lived by herself in her Manhattan apartment for the past 40 years. Famous for delivering a hugely popular commercial catchphrase (“Where’s the sausage?!”). Her career has been much more successful than her personal life. Olive has never been able to let people in, and lashes out at the drop of a hat. She’s adept at saying whatever it is that will hurt someone the most. However, beneath it all, she is a very vulnerable and sensitive person, whose cantankerous, hard outer shell has resulted from a lifetime of being disappointed by people. She has a little bit of hope left in her, and deep down, she wishes she could connect—but has always been unable to.
Wendy:
50s. Energetic, brassy New Yorker. Determined to help people, but easily put down. Successful Broadway company manager. Has a soft spot for helping secluded older people. Looks in on Olive frequently and truly cares about her, despite Olive’s often less-than-appreciative attitude. Though she appears strong, independent and confident, it is revealed that she is deeply lonely at her core. Applies for a new job in California that she hopes will change her entire life.
Robert:
60s. Dignified, influential editor of children’s books, recently retired. Charming. Still capable of innocent wonder of the world. Attractive. Lives next door to Olive with his partner, Trey. Makes every attempt to befriend Olive in an effort to stop her from being such an unpleasant neighbor. Loves Trey and wants to protect him from any criticism. Forgiving; gives people the benefit of the doubt, to a fault. Perpetually happy and enthusiastic.
Trey:
Man, 50s. A once-beautiful, lovable boy who has aged into a sour pickle due to too much alcohol. Robert’s partner, both in life and in the children’s book business. Has become jaded and bitter, and is frequently cutting and sarcastic. Often involved in conflicts and resents that Robert does not always take his side. Describes himself as a nasty old queen.
Sylvan:
Man, 70s. Retired lingerie salesman. Warm, placid, with a wry sense of humor. Dignified. Meets Olive and is instantly intrigued. Has been married and widowed three times, and is drawn to “difficult” women. Very sweet and well-meaning, he represents a new world of possibilities to Olive. He just might be the one person who can get past Olive’s difficult personality and prove to her that she is deserving of love—and able to love in return.
Videos
